As the weather is cooling it is time to prepare for the change to Winter uniforms. This will take place on Tuesday 9th June. This is the week starting after the June long weekend.

If you are unsure of items required for Winter, please visit our website where you can find information in our Parent Handbook or the St Agnes’ Uniform Store website via this link https://stagnesparish.org.au/st-agnes-uniform-store/ . The St Agnes' Uniform store has reopened with the revised hours of operation from 1:00pm - 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. Online ordering has also resumed with click and collect and delivery available.

'The Sunshine Cafe'

Our Canteen operates five days a week providing lunches, drinks and snacks. We follow a very high standard of hygiene and provide a variety of healthy foods. Our prices are kept at a reasonable level as a service to the students, but we do not compromise on quality. The Canteen operates each day at 11:00am for lunch with our menu being updated regularly throughout the year.

On behalf of the staff and students we would like to issue a special invitation to parents and family members to become a volunteer at the Canteen. Our Canteen Coordinator organises the food, the roster, and will be at the Canteen every morning to greet and help you. You will enjoy your time spent with us, your child will love to see you and the rest of us will really appreciate it also! Contact the school office if you would like to help.

There is an online Canteen ordering facility which can be accessed through the link below as well as through our school app (the link connects to the Flexischools website).

Jesus, we invite Your resurrection within our own hearts. Your resurrection brings the joy of our faith like the sun brings the glorious weather during the Easter holidays. May we now be Your hands, Your eyes, Your mercy and Your love for others.

WELCOME BACK

Hi everyone, and welcome back to an unusual term, only necessary due to our circumstances.

I have recorded this week a 5 minute video for you, but will summarise the main points here as well. Please continue to read all communication that comes out, as there is so much information in the media that contradicts what is our reality.

Thank you for your incredible support and messages of encouragement.

We acknowledge your hardship and concern at home and we are here to help.

Reduced learning grids and expectations will be in place from Week 2 to support families, only do what you can, it will be enough.

We ask for patience and support for the plan, as this will get us back to school sooner than later if our school and wider community can continue to do what is needed.

Week 1 and 2

Limited numbers of students can attend school with only a limited number of staff allowed onsite - only those who must be at school can do so.

Children’s social distancing has been loosened - no longer do they have to maintain 1.5m, but hygiene practices remain (handwashing; limiting physical contact and face touching; coughing and sneezing into elbows; going home if any symptoms of illness).

Adult social distancing still to be followed by staff and parents - no parents in the school grounds except office attendance.

Roster of teachers means students won’t always have their own teacher, those not rostered onsite will be supporting learning from home.

Drop off only via bus gate in mornings, no walking to classrooms.

Pick up via bus gate in afternoons for all grades - parents to remain outside the gate and practice social distancing from others.

Week 3 and 4

Staged transition - staff and students slightly increased.

Essential workers and only those grades invited to attend.

If you are concerned and don’t want to send your child in, you are not penalised for attendance. Continue to learn from home with our support where possible and complete attendance messaging as normal.

Grades of transition plan will have own teacher (unless staff member is health vulnerable).

Wear summer uniform for the day of attendance on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and sport uniform for the day of attendance on Thursday and Friday (if you forget, it’s ok). Traditionally students will wear the winter uniform after the June long weekend however we will confirm closer to the time.

Bring drink bottle - no bubblers to be shared.

Bring lunch but canteen is open for orders, snacks and drinks.

Drop off and pick up will adhere to adult social distancing, details to be confirmed next week.

It is projected that if the Week 3 and 4 plan go well and our wider community keep the spread of COVID-19 away, we will be moving the school transition plan forward more quickly than previously expected and have all students back to school well before the end of term.

Planning ahead will be dependent on updates from Government and Health authorities and as changes occur will be communicated with families.

WELCOME TO OUR COMMUNITY

Congratulations to Nevaeh Fletcher (1R) and her family on the safe arrival on Wednesday of their new baby girl Skylah. We can't wait to meet her!

RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to a very different start to Term 2. However different it may be we are still here to support the learning and wellbeing of our school community.

This week I would like to draw your attention to the CSO Learning From Home Families website. This website provides families with a wealth of information about learning, wellbeing, faith, technology and parenting webinars designed to help support families during this time.

Please take a moment to access this site, by clicking on the Learning from Home Families image here, and remember that although you may not be a trained teacher you are an expert when it comes to your child.

YEAR 7 2021 ENROLMENT

Enrolment has commenced for our Year 7 2021 cohort.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to have our usual Open Nights for Year 6 students and their parents. The evenings were scheduled for Monday 4th May at St Joseph’s Regional College and Tuesday 5th May at MacKillop College, however, we do plan to have an opportunity for families to visit the schools and tour facilities later in the year.

We are currently planning to commence the enrolment interviews, possibly via ZOOM, and will communicate the plan as it unfolds depending on social distancing restrictions. We hope to commence interviews in mid to late May and will continue into Term 3. Parents will be contacted by the College offices.

We encourage all parents of Year 6 students wishing to attend the Colleges in 2021 to return the enrolment packs to the respective College offices as soon as possible. If you have friends or families with students in Year 6 please encourage them to return the packs. Places will fill quickly so it is important packs are returned as soon as possible.

2021 KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN!

The Kindergarten 2021 Enrolment Applications are now open and have moved online!

You will also discover on this page helpful information about the enrolment process for our primary schools, school zoning details and other useful information including uniform guidelines and pricing.

If you need further advice about the enrolment process please contact the St Agnes' Parish Education Team at enrol@stagnesparish.org.au

UNIFORM STORE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Unfortunately we have had to close the Uniform Store, both online and shop front, until further notice due to COVID-19 guidelines. As soon as this changes we will communicate it to you through the schools.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

BAPTISM FOR CHILDREN

Busways would like to advise that all school and route services to your school are still operating.

Busways is continuing to work with Transport for NSW to ensure vital services keep running for all our customers during COVID-19. The health and safety of our drivers and our passengers is our top priority and as such, we encourage you to remind students to maintain hygiene practices, remain cautious of the virus and follow social distancing guidelines when they’re on the bus (where possible). Students should always maintain social distance from the bus driver.

It’s important that we all continue to exercise every Government outlined requirement to ensure we get through this together. Busways has continued to:

Maintain extra cleaning on buses, with every bus receiving a disinfectant treatment every day, including all regularly touched areas such as handrails, poles, seats and doors.

Exercise additional procedures for all Busways employees to follow in order to limit any chance of the virus spreading. This includes issuing employees with hand sanitiser, requiring employees to wash their hands every time they enter and leave a worksite, employees staying home if they’re unwell, and minimising the handling of cash.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and appreciate schools providing information to students to assist in minimising the spread of the virus. Please remind students that they are still required tap on and off with their Opal card or show their School bus pass when boarding.

Current advice:If a student is experiencing flu-like symptoms, until they know what type of illness they have, they must stay home and avoid contact with other people. They should not board the bus. Students undergoing 14 days of mandatory isolation should also not board the bus.

This information may change at any time subject to Government decisions.

Parents should seek medical advice over the phone and follow all recommendations from their medical professional.

BEBRAS RESULTS ARE IN!!

Students in Year 3 to 6 were invited to participate in the first Bebras Challenge during Term 1.

The goal of the Bebras Challenge is to promote computational thinking skills in a way that highlights student abilities. It is a great oppportunity for the students to develop their computational thinking skiils with amazing outcomes.

The challenge is made up of 15 questions ranging in difficulty.

Students in Year 3 and 4 have 60 minutes and students in Year 5 and 6 have 45 minutes to complete the challenge.

The challenge is open twice a year for two weeks.

Students complete the challenge in one sitting at any time within the two week challenge period.

The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people remains our highest priority. Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding coronavirus, the School Banking program will remain on hold. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed with any updates including how we will be managing Dollarmite tokens for students.

In the meantime, here are some handy online resources for parents who wish to maintain momentum with their child’s financial education:

Please note these dates can change from time to time due to unforeseen circumstances and we will endeavour to advise you of any changes at the earliest possible opportunity. Our school Google calendar can be accessed via this link for additional advanced dates -